Posted 5:15 PM by John A. Seafisk

Talk Amongst Yourselves

I had dinner with a few friends last night. It was sort of a birthday dinner for one of my friends (i.e. Happy Birthday, Katie Smith!). I say "sort of" because although Tuesday was the official celebration of her existence, we had a larger get-together over the weekend at a place called Killer Shrimp. Normally, I'm not a big fan of shrimp or unfried seafood, but the food here was gooooood. It's like a noveau Cajun-esque place where you can only get 3 items:

Shrimp in sauce
Shrimp with rice
Shrimp with pasta

But each one is a culinary delight. The spices & seasonings they use certainly give it a flavorful kick. Best of all, they serve the entrees with slices of mini french bread, so you can mop up every last drop of juices for you taste buds to enjoy.

So, since the big bruhaha happened on Saturday, last night was celebrated at The Great Steak & Potato Company. As far as food court eateries go, this is one in the upper eschelon, along with Hot Dog On A Stick. Interestingly enough, this Steak & Potato place was not inside a mall, but rather as part of a new development on the grounds of the old Lockheed plant. It includes a Best Buy, Target, Krispy Kreme, Wendy's, Jamba Juice, Hometown Buffet, Shoe Pavilion....need I say more?

The evening meal itself was pleasant & relaxing. And the presence of a baby (courtesy of the baby's parents) livened things up, giving the rest of us valid excuses to make funny noises & faces in the sake of infant entertainment. As the conversations shifted from work to comic books to films to sports to HBO's Real Sex, there were noticeable instances when someone would get left out of that conversational section. When work was discussed, the person who did not work at the same place had nothing to say. When movies were discussed, the person who doesn't visit the cinema had nothing to say. When sports was discussed, the person who doesn't follow anything athletic had nothing to say. When Real Sex was discussed, we all had plenty to say.

This exclusionary occurence must be part of natural conversational habit, like the 20-minute pause of silence. No matter what discussion or talking-to is involved, after 20 minutes into said conversation, everyone stops talking. Silence....everyone looks at each other. This silence doesn't end until someone says, "Hey, must be that 20-minute lull in the conversation!", then everyone chuckles politely & leaves the area.

Then I go find another beer.